Newser Story Index from August, 2008
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
Work Begins on Controversial San Diego Border Fence
Associated Press
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Aug 16, 2008 4:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Construction crews have launched work on a controversial section of the US-Mexico border fence near San Diego, AP reports. The Smuggler's Gulch canyon will be filled with dirt and a fence built at a cost of $16 million a mile. Critics charge the fence is no longer vital and the work will cause serious environmental damage.
Phelps Ties Spitz With 7 Golds
Associated Press
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Aug 15, 2008 9:41 PM CDT
(AP) -
Michael Phelps beat Milorad Cavic of Serbia by the thinnest of margins to win the 100-meter butterfly yesterday, tying Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics. Phelps, seemingly destined for second at the finish, somehow touched the wall first, a scant .01 seconds ahead of Cavic. The Serb's coach filed a protest, but the judges...
'Bigfoot' DNA Actually Human, Opossum
Reuters
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Aug 15, 2008 8:55 PM CDT
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DNA from an alleged Bigfoot carcass is actually part human, part opossum, a scientist said today. A University of Minnesota expert debunked the DNA at a Palo Alto, Calif. press conference before the two men who allegedly found the corpse—and who sell Bigfoot merchandise. The head of a group dedicated to finding Bigfoot said the samples may have...
Office Actor Charged With Possession, DUI
People
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Aug 15, 2008 8:42 PM CDT
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The Office actor Craig Robinson has been hit with drug possession and misdemeanor DUI charges, according to a complaint released today. Los Angeles police say they pulled Robinson over for a traffic violation this summer, discovered drugs in his car, and found him high on amphetamines, cocaine, and cannabis. The Pineapple Express co-star is slated...
Hershey Boosts Prices by 10% as Costs Rise
Reuters
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Aug 15, 2008 8:25 PM CDT
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Chocolate maker Hershey said today it is raising prices by about 10% to offset the new costs of ingredients, Reuters reports. Commodities like cocoa and peanuts are up between 20% and 45%, it said, yet one analyst called the price hike a "real surprise." The candy giant also predicted lower than expected profit for 2008; stocks were down...
Why No Arab Rage Over Darfur?
New Republic
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Aug 15, 2008 7:45 PM CDT
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Israel's wrongs against Palestine are "minor" compared to other modern conflicts—yet Arab leaders continue to cry bloody murder over Palestine while ignoring and covering up atrocities in Darfur, writes Martin Peretz, editor-in-chief of The New Republic . Darfur "does not trouble the conscience of Islam," Peretz writes....
Cops Turn China Protesters Into Propaganda
Washington Post
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Aug 15, 2008 7:09 PM CDT
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The Rev. Patrick Mahoney posed for pictures during his interrogation in Beijing—half of it, anyway. Over 7 hours, police ran a classic good cop/bad cop routine on Mahoney, who had unfurled a “Jesus Christ is King” banner in Tiananmen Square, he tells the Washington Post. "They wanted to document our treatment," says Mahoney.
Obama Camp Steers Clear of Arkansas
New York Times
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Aug 15, 2008 6:32 PM CDT
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Barack Obama has a novel strategy in Arkansas, a Southern state that likes Democrats: He's not there. The presumptive nominee has no Arkansas office and hasn't even visited in 2 years. Yet analysts aren't surprised, noting that conservative Democrats heavily favor Hillary Clinton and backed President Bush the past two elections. Arkansas also skews...
Cockfighting Fans in La. Say Goodbye
Washington Post
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Aug 15, 2008 5:50 PM CDT
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Louisiana became the last state to outlaw cockfighting today, and fans of the activity are mourning the loss of what they see as a cultural pastime, reports the Washington Post . Animal rights supporters praise the crackdown, but cockfight enthusiasts say the law will just push the show underground. Says one cockfighter: "We ain't barbaric and...
Texas Teachers Allowed to Carry Guns
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Aug 15, 2008 5:30 PM CDT
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A tiny school district in Texas will allow its teachers to bring guns to class this fall in what may be the first such move in the nation, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The district says the move will deter school shootings or help teachers defend students if one occurs. Teachers will need a state permit and special training to bring their...
Sports Owners Put Their Money on McCain
Politico
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Aug 15, 2008 5:24 PM CDT
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Hollywood money may be filling Barack Obama’s coffers, but sports-owners’ cash is overwhelmingly going to John McCain. The presumptive GOP nominee has raked in $3.2 million raised or donated by sports owners, while Obama has drummed up only $615,000, Politico reports. Even in Chicago, Obama’s hometown, McCain took in six times more...
Cuomo Raises Pressure on Merrill
Bloomberg
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Aug 15, 2008 5:12 PM CDT
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With Wachovia locked in to buying back $9 billion in auction-rate securities from clients, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has his sights set next on finance titans Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg reports. Cuomo says Merrill faces an "imminent" lawsuit after offering to buy back $10 billion of the bonds, which he says is...
McCain's 'TMZ Campaign' Is Risky Business
Time
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Aug 15, 2008 5:09 PM CDT
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John McCain's attack ads on the "biggest celebrity in the world" depend on Americans loving to hate stars more than they admire them, writes James Poniewozik in Time . If the tactic works, it will shift Barack Obama’s best asset into a Republican secret weapon—but "snark aside, Americans still like celebrities." Obama’s...
FBI Confirms 'Rockefeller' Is German Con Man
Boston Herald
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Aug 15, 2008 4:55 PM CDT
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The FBI and Boston investigators confirmed today that accused kidnapper and con man "Clark Rockefeller" is indeed a German national named Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. Analysts matched his fingerprints with those from an immigration document he filled out as a teenager almost 3 decades ago, the Boston Herald reports. Officials said he's...
Candidates Bound for Spiritual Showdown
Christian Science Monitor
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Aug 15, 2008 4:36 PM CDT
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The presidential candidates will put their spiritual views on display tomorrow night, appearing with Rick Warren, the country's most popular pastor, at his megachurch in California. The back-to-back 1-hour interviews are clear signs of both the importance of religion in the campaign and the emergence of a new type of evangelical preacher, the Christian...
Airborne Will Offer Refunds Over Ad Claims
Washington Post
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Aug 15, 2008 4:22 PM CDT
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Airborne—the fizzy orange tablet long pitched as a way to cure and prevent the common cold—will refund consumers the price of up to six purchases because it has no evidence to back up those claims, the Washington Post reports. Under a deal cut yesterday, the company will add $6.5 million to the $23.5 million it agreed to pay earlier this...
Norway Knights King Penguin
Associated Press
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Aug 15, 2008 4:09 PM CDT
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Nils Olav, an honorary colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard—and a 3-foot-tall king penguin—was knighted today by Norway's King Harald V, the AP reports. Nils, named after former Norwegian King Olav V, caught the attention of the guards while they were touring the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland years ago. He became their mascot...
Alanis Ex Cops to Making Mess, Inspiring Song
Calgary Herald
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Aug 15, 2008 3:55 PM CDT
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Comedian Dave Coulier says he is indeed the target of Alanis Morissette's angry 1990s hit "You Oughta Know." The two had a nasty breakup at the time, but Coulier denied the rumors that he was the creator "of the mess that you made when you went away" until he spilled to the Calgary Herald. Morissette has also stayed mum.
Stocks Mixed; Commodities Fall
MarketWatch
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Aug 15, 2008 3:43 PM CDT
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The markets ended mixed today as commodities fell across the board, leaving traders unsure of the larger ramifications for the economy, MarketWatch reports. The Dow gained 43.97 points to close at 11,659.90, the Nasdaq slid 1.15 points to 2,452,52, and the S&P 500 climbed 5.27 points to 1,298.20.
McCain Recalls POW Prayers, Tests of Faith
Chicago Tribune
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Aug 15, 2008 3:26 PM CDT
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John McCain has kept relatively quiet about his religious beliefs and practices, but he speaks freely on the spiritual significance of his captivity in North Vietnam from 1967 to 1973. Ahead of tomorrow's sit-down with Rick Warren, the candidate tells the Chicago Tribune about his harrowing experience in the Hanoi Hilton, where he took part in an...
Music Giant Jerry Wexler Dead at 91
New York Times
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Aug 15, 2008 3:11 PM CDT
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Jerry Wexler, a music industry giant who coined the term "rhythm and blues" and worked to bring black popular music into the mainstream, died today at age 91, the New York Times reports. Wexler, a producer at Atlantic Records in its heyday, worked with new artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Wilson Pickett. Unusual for the...
Medvedev Blasts US 'Fairy Tales' About Defense Shield
Reuters
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Aug 15, 2008 2:56 PM CDT
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US-Russian relations took another turn for the worse today with Moscow lashing out at America's new missile-defense deal with Poland. Dmitry Medvedev said the system will be aimed at Russia and denounced as "fairy tales" the US contention that it will deter strikes from rogue nations such as Iran, Reuters reports. Condoleezza Rice refuted...
Liukin Does What Dad Couldn't
Sydney Morning Herald
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Aug 15, 2008 2:42 PM CDT
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Growing up in Texas, Nastia Liukin eyed her father's four Olympic gold medals, won for his gymnastics exploits as a USSR star. But one always eluded him: the all-around individual medal, which he came within a tenth of a point of in 1988. "I hope that I made up for that and I hope that he feels just as as proud as I am," Nastia said today...
The Win-Win Economics of Medical Tourism
Economist
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Aug 15, 2008 2:28 PM CDT
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The spread of “medical tourism”—uninsured and underinsured patients seeking cheap health care in Southeast Asia or Latin America—has fueled fears that developing nations will divert resources from state health systems caring for their own citizens. But, the Economist argues, “if governments make the best of the boom,...
Sahara Yields Ancient Cemetery
National Geographic
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Aug 15, 2008 2:13 PM CDT
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Explorers hunting for dinosaur bones have found a Stone Age cemetery deep in the Sahara desert, National Geographic reports. The team of paleontologists discovered bones from two separate ancient human cultures that lived in the region as long as 10,000 years ago, when monsoon rains turned parts of the desert lush and green.
Frank: Romney Will Say Anything to Win
Boston Herald
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Aug 15, 2008 1:59 PM CDT
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Barney Frank ripped into Mitt Romney yesterday as part of a DNC effort to discredit the possible Republican VP choices, the Boston Herald reports. Citing flip-flops on abortion and gay rights, the Massachusetts Congressman called the ex-Massachusetts governor ‘the most intellectually inconsistent politician I’ve ever known.” Romney,...
Force is Weak in Clone Wars
Rotten Tomatoes
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Aug 15, 2008 1:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Star Wars: The Clone Wars fills a gap in the saga's chronology, and although the animated feature may give devoted Lucasfilm fans their fix before the TV series launches this fall, the oddly lifeless movie "isn't the Star Wars we've known and loved, Todd McCarthy writes in Variety.
Red Alert: Energy Drink Thickens Blood
Times (UK)
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Aug 15, 2008 1:31 PM CDT
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Drinking Red Bull could lead to heart problems, the London Times reports. In a small study—30 Australian college students took part—downing even one can of the hypercaffeinated energy drink increased the risk of blot clots. In short, the young Red Bull enthusiasts developed a condition that resembled cardiovascular disease.
Candidates Lack 'Placeness': Noonan
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 15, 2008 1:17 PM CDT
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This year's presidential campaign gives no sense of the candidates' roots, writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal . Clinton was clearly a Southerner, and JFK unmistakably an Irish Catholic from Massachusetts, but “Obama and McCain are not from a place, but from an experience”--Obama from “the town of Smooth in the state of...
Man Tried to Blackmail Giants Coach: Feds
New York Daily News
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Aug 15, 2008 1:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Philadelphia man faces federal extortion charges and 2 years in prison after confessing to attempting to blackmail Giants coach Tom Coughlin, the New York Daily News reports. The coach received letters purportedly from two women 2 weeks ago and notified the NFL, which passed along the evidence to the FBI, the Philadelphia Daily News reports.
Pals: LiLo Back to Eyeing Men
OK!
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Aug 15, 2008 12:49 PM CDT
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Friends of Lindsay Lohan suspect her relationship with DJ girlfriend Samantha Ronson may be coming apart, OK! magazine reports. Sources close to Lohan claim she has been spotted flirting with guys while Ronson isn’t looking, and they say she will likely make a move on “the next guy who catches her eye.”
Moisturizers Increase Skin Cancer in Mice
Daily Mail (UK)
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Aug 15, 2008 12:34 PM CDT
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Moisturizers used by millions around the world each day may increase skin cancer in mice, the Daily Mail reports. But many more tests are needed before researchers can draw conclusions about humans. In mouse experiments, animals primed to develop skin cancer were exposed to UV light. The moisturized mice developed non-melanoma cancers at a faster...
Young Evangelical Vote Is Up For Grabs
Washington Post
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Aug 15, 2008 12:29 PM CDT
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When Barack Obama and John McCain meet with pastor Rick Warren tomorrow, they’ll be fighting for the future of an increasingly split evangelical voting block, the Washington Post reports. Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, is at the forefront of a movement rippling through young evangelicals and prompting them to focus on issues outside...
George W. Bush: Motivational Speaker
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 15, 2008 12:13 PM CDT
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“There are many things George W. Bush should do after his presidency,” writes Joel Stein of the LA Times , “most of which involve apologizing.” But since that’s not the Decider’s style, Stein has another career suggestion: motivational speaker. No one knows how to look on the bright side like Bush—Iraq is...
Bike Sharing Debuts in DC
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 15, 2008 12:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With its residents battling high fuel prices and heavy traffic, Washington, DC, has instituted a bike-sharing program: pay $40 a year, and you can borrow wheels from one of 10 stands across the city. Inspired by similar schemes abroad, SmartBike DC is using technology keep the system running smoothly, keeping the bikes in electronic racks that require ...
Bank Ads Helped Spin 2nd Mortgages
New York Times
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Aug 15, 2008 11:59 AM CDT
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Until recently, borrowing against one's home was considered a desperate measure, but now it's commonplace. Since the 1980s, outstanding home-equity loans—once called second mortgages—have exploded a thousandfold to more than $1 trillion. The New York Times looks at how banks waged a concerted advertising campaign to transform Americans'...
McCain Raises $27M in July
Associated Press
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Aug 15, 2008 11:48 AM CDT
(AP) -
John McCain raised $27 million in July, his largest one-month fundraising haul since clinching the nomination, while the Republican National Committee brought in nearly $26 million. "Our fundraising continues to be very healthy," Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, said in a conference call with reporters, noting that July was the fifth...
Georgia Signs Rice's Ceasefire Agreement
CNN
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Aug 15, 2008 11:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mikheil Saakashvili signed a US-brokered ceasefire agreement today following a 5-hour meeting with Condoleezza Rice, CNN reports. As he signed, the Georgian president vowed to “never, ever surrender” to the “21st-century barbarians.” Rice said says she has been assured Dmitri Medvedev will sign the deal, which calls for the...
Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dazzles, Disappoints
Rotten Tomatoes
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Aug 15, 2008 11:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Critics are sharply divided over Woody Allen’s latest flick, Vicky Cristina Barcelona . The story of two women’s romantic adventures in Spain—“as much a tragedy as a comedy,” Mahnola Dargis writes for the New York Times —carries “a sun-drenched splendor that never falters,” David Denby writes in the...
Google's Smartphone Slated for This Fall
New York Times
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Aug 15, 2008 11:05 AM CDT
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Google’s long-rumored Android-powered smartphone could have customers surfing the Web and chatting by as early as October, the New York Times reports. The gadget, the product of a partnership between T-Mobile and HTC, is expected to challenge Apple’s iPhone and other smartphones that offer PC-like functions as well as voice service.
Phelps: Great, or Greatest?
New York Times
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Aug 15, 2008 10:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Everyone agrees that Michael Phelps is one of the greatest Olympians ever—but is he the greatest? It’s become a hot topic of debate in Beijing, the New York Times reports. Phelps stands alone in the gold medal column, but swimming hands out a lot of medals, and some contend it isn’t as demanding as, say, track and field.
Mystery Glitch Disrupts Netflix Shipping
San Jose Mercury News
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Aug 15, 2008 10:37 AM CDT
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A technical glitch is disrupting shipping services at Netflix, holding up rentals for potentially millions of customers, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The company, which ships about 2 million DVDs each day, failed to send any movies on Tuesday. Shipping proved impossible again on Thursday. Netflix has yet to identify the cause of the trouble....
Porn Claim Riles Kafka Scholars
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 15, 2008 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Literary circles are in an uproar over a new biography of Franz Kafka that says the existentialist author had a penchant for porn, the Guardian reports. Kafka expert James Hawes, who says he unearthed some of the not-exactly-mainstream magazines the author enjoyed, makes the claim in a new book and says he was "genuinely shocked when I first...
Obama Launches Corsi Counterstrike
Talking Points Memo
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Aug 15, 2008 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama is launching an aggressive counterattack on Obama Nation , the Jerome Corsi book aimed to derail his reputation, Talking Points Memo reports. In sharp contrast to John Kerry's "don't dignify that with a response" approach to Corsi's book demolishing the decorated veteran's Swift Boat record, the Obama campaign is swiftly responding...
DeGeneres to Wed Tomorrow
Us Weekly
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Aug 15, 2008 9:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s intimate wedding will take place this weekend in California, Us Weekly reports. The daytime gabber and her 35-year-old bride announced their intentions to wed following the Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling this spring. "Planning a wedding is very stressful. It's crazy. My gardener is now invited,"...
White House Forced to Rethink Russian Relationship
New York Times
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Aug 15, 2008 9:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Russia's military action in Georgia was a rude awakening for the White House, forcing the Bush administration to reconsider the relationship it thought they had, the New York Times reports. President Bush has famously touted Vladimir Putin a reliable friend and diplomatic partner, despite policy differences, but cooperation across a wide range of...
FBI Missed Anthrax Clues
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 15, 2008 9:29 AM CDT
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The FBI's obsessive focus on the wrong anthrax suspect caused the agency to miss some important clues pointing to Bruce Ivins, the Los Angeles Times reports. Records of key-card swipes show that Ivins, who killed himself last month before being charged, spent hours in a "hot suite" with access to anthrax late at night before the 2001 anthrax...
Skittish Right Wing Sweats Talk of Pro-Choice Veep
Politico
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Aug 15, 2008 9:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain’s comment that he wouldn’t rule out Tom Ridge as a possible VP for being pro-choice sparked a flurry of panic among the conservative base—a vital group already lukewarm about McCain's party-maverick status. “That choice will end his bid for the presidency,” an activist tells Politico.
Motorcycle Deaths Rise 6.6%
New York Times
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Aug 15, 2008 8:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The number of motorcyclist deaths rose in 2007 for the 10th year in a row, the New York Times reports, jumping 6.6% even as the overall number of vehicle deaths continued to drop. Motorcycle deaths now account for one in eight traffic fatalities, totaling 5,154 last year—a toll safety experts blame on weakened helmet laws, as well as increased...
Bird's Nest Stadium: Your Corporate Logo Here
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 15, 2008 8:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For a low, low price in the hundreds of millions of dollars, Beijing’s $500-million National Stadium, known as the “Bird’s Nest,” is peddling 30-year naming rights, courting six multinational corporations for logo privileges and other partnerships, the Wall Street Journal reports. The “Water Cube” Aquatics Center...
